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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
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| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.08500 |
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| _version_ | 1866916956916940800 |
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| author | Huege, Tim |
| author_facet | Huege, Tim |
| contents | The accurate determination of the absolute energy scale in cosmic ray measurements is both a challenging and fundamentally important task. We present how measurements of radio pulses from extensive air showers with the Auger Engineering Radio Array, combined with per-event simulations of radio emission using the CoREAS extension of CORSIKA, allow us to determine the energy scale of cosmic rays between $3\cdot 10^{17}$\,eV and several $10^{18}$\,eV. Our analysis accounts for many factors, each of which is controlled on the 5\% level or better. The absolute calibration of the antennas and the entire analog signal chain builds on a Galactic calibration in combination with a detailed understanding of the antenna-gain patterns. Additional key elements include compensation for temperature-dependent signal amplification, continuous detector health monitoring, an active veto for thunderstorm conditions, an unbiased event reconstruction, and per-event atmospheric modeling in the simulations. The analysis benefits from a high-statistics dataset of over 800 measured cosmic ray showers. We describe our analysis method, perform multiple cross-checks, and evaluate systematic uncertainties. We find that absolute energies determined with AERA are 12\% higher than those established with the Auger Fluorescence Detector, a result well in agreement within systematic uncertainties and thus a strong independent confirmation of the absolute energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_08500 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Determination of the energy scale of cosmic ray measurements using the Auger Engineering Radio Array Huege, Tim Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics The accurate determination of the absolute energy scale in cosmic ray measurements is both a challenging and fundamentally important task. We present how measurements of radio pulses from extensive air showers with the Auger Engineering Radio Array, combined with per-event simulations of radio emission using the CoREAS extension of CORSIKA, allow us to determine the energy scale of cosmic rays between $3\cdot 10^{17}$\,eV and several $10^{18}$\,eV. Our analysis accounts for many factors, each of which is controlled on the 5\% level or better. The absolute calibration of the antennas and the entire analog signal chain builds on a Galactic calibration in combination with a detailed understanding of the antenna-gain patterns. Additional key elements include compensation for temperature-dependent signal amplification, continuous detector health monitoring, an active veto for thunderstorm conditions, an unbiased event reconstruction, and per-event atmospheric modeling in the simulations. The analysis benefits from a high-statistics dataset of over 800 measured cosmic ray showers. We describe our analysis method, perform multiple cross-checks, and evaluate systematic uncertainties. We find that absolute energies determined with AERA are 12\% higher than those established with the Auger Fluorescence Detector, a result well in agreement within systematic uncertainties and thus a strong independent confirmation of the absolute energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory. |
| title | Determination of the energy scale of cosmic ray measurements using the Auger Engineering Radio Array |
| topic | Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.08500 |